Things You'll Need
Utility knife
Pry bar
Pliers
Carpet installation positions tack strips, which are long wood boards nailed into the subfloor with vertical nails to hold the carpet, near the walls and seams. Mobile homes often have the carpet terminated in a hallway or junction between rooms with staples holding down the carpet. Removing carpet from a mobile home requires using a utility knife to cut up the carpet and a pry bar to lift out the staples and tack strips. Always cut the carpet into manageable pieces unless you intend on reusing the carpet later.
Step 1
Cut the carpet into strips approximately 3 to 4 feet wide. Cut from wall to wall, moving in the same direction each time.
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Step 2
Grab the cut edges of the carpet near a wall and lift straight up. The carpet will disengage from the tack strip easily. Roll the carpet up to the opposite wall. Lift the roll straight up to disengage it from the tack strip near the second wall.
Step 3
Press a pry bar under the carpet near any seam between rooms, such as between a living room and kitchen. Pry up the carpet to disengage the staples. Roll the carpet up and remove it.
Step 4
Pry up the tack strips with the pry bar starting on one end and working toward the opposite end of the tack strip. Remove any remaining pieces of staples or nails with pliers.
Tip
Carpet removal is relatively easy as long as you cut the pieces into manageable sections. Cutting the carpet into grids further simplifies the removal. If you want to save the whole carpet, use a pry bar inserted between the wall and the carpet to lift the edges off of the tack strip first, and roll the carpet up as one piece. The carpet will be very heavy, so use team lifting to remove the carpet from the room.
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